Tubes, I understand. Transistors are different, mysterious, and the arcane theory which grew up around them is no use at all. I have a mental model which gets me to an answer but I can't put it in words.

Tubes, I understand. Transistors are different, mysterious, and the arcane theory which grew up around them is no use at all. I have a mental model which gets me to an answer but I can't put it in words.

Fascinating, but this goes against everything I know to be true. I am almost certain that transistors are filled with highly compressed smoke, not water, electron holes, doughnut holes, or what have you. Capacitors are also filled with smoke, but it has very different properties, and hence a different smell.

> I am almost certain that transistors are filled with highly compressed smoke, not water,

What's the difference? Oh, when it gets out it is the difference between stink and soaked. But functionally, you can have smoke so compressed that it wants to fall down, and compressed smoke forcing-up the valve.

If you replace the one valve with a zillion elastic force-fields between crystal atoms, it is not so very far off from what the electron/hole-theorists claim to be true. Maybe the only fault in their logic is their irrational faith in impossible objects like electrons. Or maybe "electrons" is really just another word for very-very highly compressed smoke. Smoke so compact that it can skim through a metallic lattice, but not through an amorphous ceramic.

Thank you PRR for posting this link. I can't say I "understand" tubes really but at least I can set up a stage and bias it properly. Transistors are different, mysterious, and my mental model was going absolutely nowhere.

What is needed is an isolated balance tube from C to the underside of the plunger. This way the plunger will not feel the pressure from C (it will now have a differential pressure of zero) and B will be able to move the plunger with little effort. Also, E will need to be low impedance, or else C will put back pressure on B. What is needed is an open tube draining into a reservoir below. That way C can drain freely and B can drain freely. In fact, in this model there would be no need for B to drain at all because it operates on pressure and not flow. You could add a paddle wheel with a rope or belt draped over the hub which pulled on a lever to actuate the plunger. It will be getting rather Goldberg-esque at this point, but it will work! :green: